Germany must make changes for third-place match

By Barry Whelan Jul 7, 2006, 8:56 GMT

Berlin - Coach Juergen Klinsmann will be forced to reshuffle his side for the third-place match against Portugal after striker Miroslav Klose emerged as a doubt and defenders Per Mertesacker and Arne Friedrich were ruled out with injuries.

Klose, the World Cup top scorer, is complaining of a calf injury and won't play on Saturday in Stuttgart unless fully fit, while Mertesacker has left the squad for surgery on an injured heel and Friedrich has a knee injury.

Robert Huth is tipped to replace Mertesacker, but Klinsmann has not got a ready replacement for Friedrich's right-back position, although midfielder Bernd Schneider is capable of filling the role.

Midfielder Torsten Frings, suspended and sorely missed in the semi-final defeat against Italy, is eligible to play again.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has said he would be willing to stand aside to let veteran Oliver Kahn play in what would be the Bayern Munich keeper's last World Cup game.

'The chances of Oliver playing are good,' goalkeeper coach Andreas Koepke told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. 'A game for him would also be a great gesture for the last seven weeks in which his attitude has been exemplary.'

Klinsmann is considering giving some fringe players an opportunity but the coach does not want to make many changes.

'We want to win this game to finish third and leave the tournament on a high note,' he said.

If fit, striker Klose will go into the game on five World Cup goals and every chance of finishing up as the tournament's leading goalscorer. Only his team-mate Lukas Podolski and French striker Thierry Henry - both on three goals - can realistically catch him.

Klose himself said he would like some of the reserve players who have contributed to the squad's team spirit during the tournament to be given a chance, but questioned whether all would be keen to play.

'I would like as many as players as possible to play but I don't know how the players feel themselves,' he said. 'After five-and-half weeks of just training and with no real match practice it is something you would have to let each player decide for himself.'

Klinsmann has six players in his squad who have not played a single minute at the tournament: Kahn, third-choice goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand, defenders Marcell Jansen and Jens Nowotny, midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger and forward Mike Hanke, while forward Gerald Asamoah has only spent 18 minutes on the pitch.

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said his team would rouse themselves after Wednesday's semi-final defeat to France and try to play a good game.

'It will be an encounter between two sides with coaches and players who respect each other,' he said.

Scolari, who won the World Cup four years ago with Brazil, added: 'We have to get rid of this melancholy, we still have a target. Third place at the World Cup is not to be sniffed at. We'll go on to the field with the same dedication we've shown so far.

Portugal will also have a changed line-up, with defender Ricardo Carvalho suspended after picking up a second yellow card against France.

Germany have a 6-3 win record against Portugal in 14 encounters but the two sides have never played at a World Cup.

The last meeting was at the 2000 European Championships in Rotterdam when Germany suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat with Sergio Conceicao scoring all three goals. The defeat led to the resignation of then coach Erich Ribbeck.

Line-ups

Germany (probable): Kahn - Schneider, Metzelder, Huth, Lahm - Asamoah, Frings, Ballack, Borowski - Klose (Neuville), Podolski

Portugal (probable): Ricardo - Ferreira, Meira, Caneira, Nuno Valenta - Costinha, Maniche - Figo, Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo - Pauleta.